Inuyasha- The Last Chapter
by blackdragonhuntress
Summary: After the Final Act, Kagome returns to her home by Inuyasha's side. After an attack by one of Inutaisho's adversaries on the village, Inuyasha's inner demon comes undone. It is up to Kagome, Sesshoumaru and her allies to save both him and the people she loves. Always Inu/Kag Mir/San
1. Home

I was so sure that I could not return.

And yet here I was, at the bottom of the Bone Eater's well, staring heavenward out into the endless maw that was the sapphire sky. A gentle zephyr shifted the various and sparsely placed clouds over yonder on a lazy current. With a dizzying realization that forced me to suck in air in great gulps, I slowly took in the idea that I was no longer home with my mama and brother and grandfather. I should be celebrating with my friends somewhere else five hundred years in the future, reveling in the freedom of schoolbooks and classes and peer pressure. Graduating high-school had once held an appeal to me, but it never satisfied me once I had received the diploma. Despite this fact, I longed to be here, in this almost hectic dimension. I had endeavored to visit the well in the vain hopes I would return to Feudal era Japan; to a world that still held demons, gods, samurai, hapless villagers and territorial wars.

Even stranger than those who live in this conflicted era was the fact that I wanted to live here at all, I should have learned to loath this place after all I have been through. I grew up in the luxuries of the modern world where air conditioners and actual working toilets are great to have, alongside medical advancements and electricity. But why would I give up all of the conveniences of the working innovations of the future? What could possibly hold all of my captivated interests in a world that could be sometimes described as a living hell? What could have taken my heart and rooted it so deeply in this wondrous place where pollution has yet to sully the skies?

It was all for the people I have left behind here, the same individuals that I have once considered to be my enemies. They in turn had proven themselves to be not only the greatest of allies but friends as well. And in the journey we have shared, we have become a family that ultimately time itself could not break. We all had a common ground to stand on, even if it was rock bottom. Truly a solid foundation for us to bond over.

And as for the human/demon hybrid that had appeared at the lip of the well…

It was he who held my being within the palm of his outstretched hand, waiting for me to grasp it. I had given up my future and family not only for those special companions that I had endured those trials with but it was also for this one youth who had once beheld me in contempt in the beginning. I had relinquished everything in the world I was born in just to be here with him and them. My fascination and amity with this young man was for the most part, the reason for my being here.

Truth be told, I was in love with this individual who beheld the powers of savage beasts and yet still held the heart of a true human. He seemed imperfect and horrid to the eyes of most of the mortal and demon worlds, even to himself, but he was flawless to me.

He was a man with a truly striking appearance; being completely garbed in a haori of the deepest crimson with a white tunic settled underneath it. All tied together with a red waistband that betrayed his slim figure with a sword dangling on his hip. His hands tipped with claws, thick and almost brittle, with callouses that clung to his knuckles and palms after countless battles. His skin was a sun-warmed, palm color that was almost bronzed after countless summers spent outdoors.

His exotic facial features were sharper and more pronounced in him than in most people, with a soft set of lips that failed in concealing his glistening fangs; especially with his mouth hanging agape like now. His nostrils suddenly flared on his thin nose, taking in every discernible trace of my scent. No hairline can be seen through that mop of bangs that hung in front of his off-color brows. A silvery mane of flowing hair as fine as spun thread fell away from his scalp, stopping just to his rear. In the sun's glare, it looked almost a hard ivory white. On top of his head rested two-upright ears trademark of that of a canine; fragile pink veins spider-webbed the interior of them with white furs covering the outside. They swiveled forward as if to listen to my breath and heartbeat. A single bead of sweat clung to his temple.

And yet out of all of that, his eyes held the most detail of all his estranged features. When unguarded, his expression wove a tale of a tough and isolated upbringing. Other times they could exhibit this fiery and animalistic glare during battle. The color of his pupils was just as unusual as it was amazing; being that of a tawny and honey-color that could see in the deepest curtain of darkness. On certain days, the color would gleam an incessant gold and shine an eerie silver on during moon-filled night. His Iris' were somewhat slivered and thin; more cat-like for some reason although he was in part a dog demon.

My heart skipped a beat upon seeing him stand there, fluttering more than a cage of anxious birds awaiting the freedom to stretch their wings. I could only smile as I reached up past the dirt wall, attempting to take his hand. I did not think he was actually there until I had physically met his fingertips that had suddenly snaked themselves around my own hand and pull me out of the Bone Eaters' Well. Upon the action, he had liberated me of both the darkness of the well and my lingering doubts of all this being a dream.

As we reunited, we found ourselves staring at each other in a way we never quite had before. His hands, one of which was clasping my right hand while his left found itself placed around my waist. At that moment, I wanted to say a million things to him, especially after the three years we had spent apart. However, I was tongue-tied; speechless. I could not find the words to convey unto him my true inner-most feelings. All I had to say to him at that second was merely a whisper.

"I'm sorry, Inuyasha. Had I kept you waiting?"

He put me down in front of him, his expression intense and hard to read. He didn't waste any time in throwing his corded arms around me entirely, enveloping me into a curtain of deep blood red. My face was smothered against his chest while the rest of me was pressed flush into his lanky form, which was hard but supple underneath the clothing and skin. The familiar scent of tree gum and sap and earth breath clung to his garment, hair and hide. The very essence of Mother Nature itself had blanketed him.

I could note that he was struggling to say something, hesitating for merely the briefest span of seconds. But all he had managed to say to me was in a near-hoarse whisper that had apparently drowned in the relief of him seeing me again, his breath hot against my ear.

After three long years of agonizing separation, all he could say to me was, "You idiot. What took you so long?"

I wanted to laugh his poor word selection, but I was just too overjoyed to even begin to chuckle or smirk. His embrace had been the home I had longed for ever since my advent departure after our final confrontation with the darkest of demons. I would bet he felt just as relieved to see me as I was to him, albeit surprised.

I felt him bury his face into the crook of my neck, his cheek brushing my own rounded jawline on my left side. As I returned the embrace, I noted his long intake of breath. I presumed he picked up on the foreign scent of my shampoo and conditioners' orchid and lavender smell that clung not only to my hair but skin as well. With his sensitive nose that was capable of detecting a drop of blood from more than a mile away, I was surprised he was not bothered by its intense aroma. It was an artificial smell contrary to his natural musky and earthy stench. Suddenly he trembled against me and tightened his grip; as if afraid I would vanish if he lightened it. All I could do is hold onto him as if my life depended on it, tears beginning to film over my vision. A part of me believed that he would phase through my keeping like some apparition or hallucination conjured by my desperation to see him again.

We held each other like that for some uncounted number of minutes, savoring the warmth that our bodies emanated. I did not have a shadow of a doubt that Inuyasha has let me go in memory or even thought of moving on to another by the way he held me to himself. It is safe to say that we would have stood like that all day if it wasn't the for shouts that made my heart soar almost as much as it did as I laid my eyes across Inuyasha's countenance. Three different voices rose up somewhere off past the clearing. A group of figures emerged from the bracken of the undergrowth and tromped over to where we stood, their steps suddenly halted with their apparent surprise.

"Kagome!"

"KAGOME'S BACK!"

"But how-?"

Inuyasha sighed and relented, releasing me from his gesture of endearment. His eyes never left me as I finally arrested gaze upon my closest of allies and friends, my vision blurry with tears of elation. And by the looks of them, it seemed to me that they are living the lives they had so desperately wanted and deserved. They broke the cover of the tress and made their way over to where Inuyasha and I were standing, stopping just some stretch of a few yards of us. Their expressions were a mixture of doubt, shock, confusion, happiness, and a colorful variety of things in that manner. I didn't know how much I missed them all until I saw them.

Miroku, the same almost ruggedly handsome monk whose deep off-set indigo eyes were staring me up and down as he carried two twin girls in his arms, who looked no older than two or three years old. His sandals flopped noisily against the grass as he strode over grinning knowingly as if he had expected me. His black hair was still tied up in a small band on the back of his neck, the tuft a little longer than the last time I've seen him. His robes still heavy and large, a darker indigo than his eyes. He looked a little older, but not by much.

Shippo was on his shoulder, totally worked up over my return. He squirmed incessantly; leaning off of Miroku's left shoulder and waving franticly. Shippo may be a full-blown demon unlike Inuyasha, but he was friendlier at the best of times than the rest of the group. Standing no higher than my knee as he was still a child. He seemed to have gained a couple of inches during my absence and had a fuller, longer tail of a deep russet orange. His eyes the same jade green as always and the fuzzy mop of hair still tied back by a single hair band. His legs were that of a true fox; appearing that of an animal whose limbs had been surgically attached to a mortal child was a strange sight. He looked like an ordinary human child otherwise. As for his taste in clothing, the same pelt that overlapped some swirling leaves on his haori and dark-blue bell bottom trousers. Definitely still hasn't changed much at all in my opinion.

And then there was the beautiful and well-endowed Sango. She didn't seem to have aged a day since I've seen her last. The only difference was a baby on her back in a tout sleeping soundly. Her raven hair always glistened chestnut brown in direct sunlight and it still remained tied up at the ends. Her forest green skirt tied her striped gown snugly to herself. Despite the waistband and loose-fitting garb, her curves show through, though unintentionally. Her chocolate colored eyes framed by the soft shade of dark pink eye shadow took in my appearance before she burst out in a fit of smiles and giggles. Merrily, she gestured for me to come on over.

I felt Inuyasha's hand clasp my own, drawing my eyes to him. It was such a rare sight to see a genuine smile tug at his lips. I always honestly find it as attractive and it fit him much better than his normal scowl. I squeezed his hand back and let a smile split my face into a silly and possibly dopey grin as I pulled him into step behind me. I half-jogged half-ran to my comrades, a feeling of peace, euphoria and belonging reigning over me. All that crossed my mind was this one, heart-stopping prospect that I had realized and fully accepted ever since my setting foot back in the middle Ages. It's as the saying goes; you don't know what you have until it's gone.

_I'm back! I'm actually here in the past!_

_No girl... You're home, and that's what is meant to be and always will be._


	2. Under the half-moon

The next few hours were a hazy remembrance.

When I had walked back into Kaede's village from the forest of Inuyasha for the first time in those three years, I had never realized how much I was truly missed by not just my friends but the inhabitants themselves. They threw me their own version of a party: a celebratory welcome back that had left me feeling dazed and in reeling fits of laughter. I had been absolutely showered in drinks and food and praise. Kaede herself had been leading the procession alongside the young Rin.

Kaede herself was a high priestess, known as a miko, dressed in a red hakama and sandals. A white kimono was her shirt wear. She was normally seen carrying a herbal basket with a bow and a quiver of arrows but that wasn't necessary on this occasion where merriment was involved. Her age had not been too kind on her features; crows' feet dragged at the corners of her eyes and age lines pulled at the rim of her mouth and forehead. She was also hunched over somewhat and shorter than most woman in her crippling age. Still sporting her eye patch that covered the empty socket where a demon attack had damaged her face so many years ago. But as far as I knew her, she hasn't changed except for an extra wrinkle alongside a load of smiles.

Rin was a little girl who practiced now as a sort of aid to the elderly Kaede. Her long ink black hair and the tiny bit tied up on the top of her scalp was even longer now, and she had grown some inches considerably in the last three years. My eyes had been drawn to her gown the instant I saw her: it was a sharp contrast to the poor plebian wear that everyone in the village normally wore. She had the dresses of aristocrats and a gown for just about every occasion. I would wager that Sesshoumaru, Inuyasha's elder half sibling had given her such fine garments. Her wide, oak wood brown eyes were always twinkling in the face of others. In terms of height, she stood only up to my waist. She might have changed the most out of everyone I knew.

As I sat my rumpus on a log around a bonfire in the center of the village, raucous laughter rose up from all sides. Boisterous music on hollow wood instruments cheaply crafted created some sort of broken and yet meticulous melody conjoined in terms of rhythm. The overlaying aromas of smoldering cooking fires and grease from partially prepared pork and beef had scented the air in thick curtains. I had wondered what effect this has left on Inuyasha's sensitive smell, not to mention the constant _twang_ of the strung instruments on his over-sharp hearing. It comes as of no surprise to see him hang back away from the activities that I found myself indulging in. Though his constant glances had left me feeling kind of weirded out, I knew he was just keeping an eye on me. He probably felt that if he had left me unsupervised long enough I would vanish. I felt the same way.

I had Shippo seated right on my lap, speaking faster than his brain worked somehow. He was primarily there to avoid the prying hands of Miroku's twin daughters who kept trying to yank on his tail. He merely wished to talk to me and catch up on the time that we had spent apart, seeing how he views me as some surrogate mother. His banter combined with the drink I had ingested and the on goings of the village left me unfocused and smirking more like some giddy court fool.

Sango approached me and placed herself on my right, taking her newborn infant out of the sling that held him to her. Her son looked so much like Miroku except for his hair being a tad discolored. He was alert now, rolling his little head around to take in the activity. Sango held the bundle in her arms and smiled brightly at me, nudging me out of my unfocused reverie.

"Hey there! You enjoying yourself?"

I rattled my skull as an answer, "I never thought about how everyone here misses me. I feel so touched. I'm not that special."

Sango tilted her head somewhat, "But you are special! Especially to us. I hafta ask though: You can't go back to your own time, can you?"

"Nope. I came here fully aware of my situation. I wanted to return to this place, despite all of the monsters and the lack of some mechanical marvels. You and Shippo, Miroku, Kaede and Inuyasha are my home."

It was true too. I was attached to this place, and nothing had changed that. Still it bothered me that I had left mama and Souta and grandfather behind so I could willingly step into an era that beheld nothing but religious ignorance and brutal battles. But it was a choice I accepted the instant I had seen the sky on the other end of the Bone Eaters' Well.

Sango seemed to have read my mind at that instant, "It still doesn't mean that you would miss your family though. But to think you gave all of those things in your time just to be in this primitive place… Ninja snacks and school, strange pills that relieve aches and pains and flowing water at the leisure, working lights and other friends and family; all of it. What was the true reason that you came here anyway?"

A wane smile glided across my face at the inquiry. "I told you: It's you and others that had compelled me to come back. Nothing more, nothing less."

Shippo stared up at me, his expression inquisitive. His question though was not at all what I expected.

"It's mostly because of Inuyasha, isn't it?"

I paused. It had been an innocent enough question, but it had left me winded and blushing furiously. I tried to beat back the tinting of my cheeks but Sango saw it. She had always been so keenly observant of others. She smirked in a way that I did not like for some reason. It had left me feeling very self-conscience of my emotions towards the half-demon who loomed nearby.

I noticed from the corner of my vision Inuyasha's silvery ears perked up at the mention of his name, but he gave no indication of hearing our conversation otherwise. The noise level had dulled his sense of sound for the moment.

Sango grinned, "Aha. I suspected as much."

Shippo snorted with laughter. At the moment that he lowered his guard, one of the girls had yanked on his tail. He yelped in surprise and tried to get her to loosen her grip, but she pulled the little fox right out of my lap.

I sputtered, hardly paying much notice to the kitsune's plight. "I-I still came back 'cause you guys, not just not him ya know!"

Was I that transparent to them?

Sango's giggle answered my question right then, "Calm down. I meant nothing insulting by it, Kagome. I'm aware of your feelings for him; you two are painfully obvious anyway. Still, we're all glad you came back- especially Inuyasha. All he did while you were gone was disappear for long periods of time and mope around. He even lost interest in fighting according to Miroku. Sometimes, Inuyasha would head over to the well every three days to see if you'd came through. But to no such luck."

My flustered feelings were replaced by more rueful ones. I was shocked to hear about that last part most of all. "Really? He was that depressed?"

She nodded, her eyes resting on her baby trying to wriggle free of her grip. "Yeah. I never thought that he was so…so…" She trailed off.

Shippo hollered nearby, his attempts of escape fruitless against the girls.

Sango gave me a more assuring smirk, "Well don't worry about it. You're here now and that's all that matters, right? Inuyasha is now content again with you here."

"Sango!" Miroku cheerfully shouted. "Come dance with me! I haven't had the pleasure of your company all day!"

She shot him a look and yelled back, "Just a moment!" She then added to me, "I gotta go, Miroku's gettin' on my case. I don't suppose you wanna hold Komori do you?"

I brightened, "Sure. Lucky I love kids! I'll watch the twins too until you get back."

"I won't be long. I need to put them to bed soon anyway."

"Take your time," I encouraged. "I'm not goin' anywhere."

Personally, I wanted to talk to Inuyasha and assure him that I wasn't going to ever leave his side after hearing Sango's earlier statement. Unfortunately, the villagers all wanted to see me and get a moment to welcome me home. I did not like the constant backwards glances some of the men were giving me, but Sango and Inuyasha had chased them off with a menacing expression that was enough to make any one start looking the other way. I realized that Inuyasha wanted to get me alone as well, considering that he had attempted to approach me several times. However, his attempts have been balked as many people spoke with me that night. I had the majority of my attention fixated on certain parts of the celebration.

Kaede had even made an announcement to the entire village that I was here to stay permanently and I was to train as a priestess and healer. I whole-heartedly agreed and received only pats on the back and a round of applause. Drinks were toasted in my honor as the night wore on. Some drunkards even had the audacity to try and hit on me, forcing Inuyasha to break his reclusive silence and chase them off. I thanked him with a nod each time.

Once the festivities had died down, Sango and her family scooted off to bed. Rin and Kaede went into their quiet little hut and blew out their own lights as well, bidding me goodnight. Shippo had gone off somewhere else and while the remaining villagers began trudging into their own homes, moaning about hangovers in the morning. That's when I took the chance to get to Inuyasha who had waited all day and night for his turn to sit with me.

At the sound of my steps, he eagerly walked up to me and took in my appearance with careful study. I had been wearing Sango's summer gown ever since I had changed out of my modern day clothing earlier. She said I could keep it too; I politely declined but she won the argument in the end. I just couldn't bear to continue wearing those garments seeing how I had completely detached myself from the threads of the future. Luckily, we wore similar sizes, so finding me something not too dazzling and temporary to wear was no difficult task. It was still kind of Sango to give me something she thought would look nice on me.

My gown was simple, crafted primarily for the fact that it was meant to accentuate figure. The entire kimono was a pink shade, flowing seamlessly into a white at the sleeves. The gentle curve of the collar flowed evenly with my throat and neck, laced with a snow-white stitching. The sash was a pleated dark lavender color, tied into a large bow on the back with yellow designs swirling around to emulate wind movements. The entire look hugged me securely, showing off my hips. Festive really.

Inuyasha's face tinted in the darkness of the night, the half-moon being the only light I have to see by in the gloom in order to note his blush. He tentatively reached for my hand, waiting for me to take it. I took it without a second thought. As his clawed hands met my own, his warmth seeped into the touch, sending some sort of thrill slowly easing its way up my arm. I felt heat rise into my face.

Wordlessly, he pulled me behind him, the metallic tang of humidity saturating the warm atmosphere around us. As we went on for some unknown lapse of a few minutes, I realized he was pulling me away from the village entirely. I wanted to ask why, but I felt that I knew the answer already. He just wanted to an opportunity to speak with me without either interruption or without any lingering ears and eyes. I have to admit: speaking to him after all this time after our kiss made me fidget somewhat inwardly. It struck me as odd to note that he hasn't said much at all today.

At last, we arrived at a secluded area; a rogue, withered tree in the middle of a small, patchy clearing. This place sat just outside of the village boundary, and it's been here for years. I'm also aware of the fact that Inuyasha loves being in this tree; it's one of his favorite roosts whenever he wanted some space. As we stopped in front of this wooden specter, Inuyasha scooped me up into his arms and lifted me effortlessly into the branches mid-way up the tree. From here, no living soul would bother us without us seeing their approach.

Just as we settled into the tree, I let the sudden vertigo ebb away as he eased me into his lap. Tetsaiga, his sword rattled somewhat as we sat down on the sturdy limb. We turned and faced the descending moon, the back of my head now placed against his chest. For the first time in years, I was able to hear the rhythmic thump of his pulse. It was a sound I'd never thought I'd ever hear again. Its significance held the promise of his life, but what of his heart? How did he feel right now towards me?

Some silence fell in-between us; a calm that was only broken by the tell-tale croak of night life. Being this close, I could smell the earthy essences that continuously cling to Inuyasha's robes. Our gazes remained locked onto the starry heavens, my fascination with the pristine clarity of the skies completely enamored. In Tokyo, you could almost never see such beauty. Sitting underneath the Van Gogh stars would really get someone thinking, like tonight.

Call it a normal or paranoid feeling, but I thought I could feel some rift in-between us after that fateful battle with Naraku. I decided then that I should try and attempt a conversation with a single comment. You know; break the ice. I wanted to be sure that we are still as close as I would think we would be.

So I had said, "…The night is really beautiful here in the Feudal era."

What a great way to start some heart to heart talk. 'A beautiful night'? Seriously, what is wrong with me…?

"Yeah. It is," he murmured.

I didn't expect him to comment back.

I turned somewhat to gaze at him, but he kept his attention on the moon. I ended up being transfixed by his eyes: The tawny depths were pools of writhing sheets of silver, perfectly displaying a parallel variation of the world abound. His hair had this luminescent sheen that glittered more than the surface of any body of water. His very presence was some ethereal symbol of nature, captured in its entirety within its most tranquil hour. How could humanity ever condemn Inuyasha at all? Was it because he truly is the spawn of a mortal and a demon? Was it because of his ears? Claws? His eyes…?

_I can't imagine anyone resenting his eyes. They are truly the most profound feature other than his ears. I have never seen such a simple and yet complicated individual. I love it all._

Inuyasha rested his chin on the crown of my head, his breath long and steady with each withdrawal. His hands wound their way around my waist and upper body, securing me to him and his embrace. His expression was a display of true serenity, as if within those normally guarded thoughts everything seemed at peace. In all honesty, I couldn't tell what was going through that thick-headed noggin of his. Not as of this moment.

After another couple of minutes, he let a single, long-winded smile crease his lips. His blinking had long lapses in-between, indicating that he was in the best of his moods other than fatigue gnawing at him perhaps. He slowly lowered his eyes to gaze at me, his ears drooping more and more. I could do nothing but stare back, entranced by his hypnotic appearance.

He then whispered, "You're here."

What did he mean by that?

"Of course I am. What did you expect?"

I was surprised by my Inuyasha–like answer. That was normally his line whenever he got irritated.

He gave a slight shake of his head, "No. I mean here. As in you're back."

Now I understand. He was still in some disbelief that I had returned. I kind of thought so too.

"Did you miss me that much? Or is it that you wanted to argue with somebody because the others don't make it as fun as I do?"

His smile became a chuckle, "Both maybe."

"Thanks for the consideration," I joked.

His chuckle shifted into a laugh, "Yeah sure, anytime."

There was a small pause. I pressed myself further into him, fitting myself into the crook of his neck. My ear rested onto his chest which picked up the strong thump of his heart. I fisted one of my hands through his clothes and felt him tighten his hold on me just a bit. I had never known him to be so…Romantic? Was that even the word for this moment? He normally would do something stupid that would disturb times like these.

In an undertone, he said, "I'm glad you're here with me."

"So am I," I admitted. "Not a single day after that battle with Naraku and the Shikon jewel had gone by that I found myself thinking about you and the others. I wondered if you were content with me being gone sometimes."

Inuyasha suddenly forced me to face him, righteous indignation and strangely hurt written all over his face, "You stupid girl. I wasn't 'content' at all!" The last part he said rather thickly, his statement laced with his sadness. Suddenly, he had yanked me into him, the scent of pine and other unnamed trees and woods attacked my nose, not that I minded. "From back then until all the way up until today, I thought about you too. When I was alone, my mind wondered over to you and what you could be possibly doin'. Then I tried to sleep at night, thinkin' and thinkin' about you until it ached. I knew you were safe in your time but it bothered me to think that I wasn't there to protect you anymore. You truly don't realize how much you mean to me."

I was touched in all honesty by that little speech. I never would have even begin to guess that he cared about me that much. Inuyasha was no liar whenever it boiled down to his ideals and beliefs; especially about his friends and family, but you would kind of have to corner him about it sometimes. Still, I had some reasonable doubts whenever it came to me and Kikyo. That was a constant war; the prize to winning that confrontation was Inuyasha's affection. I would have thought that after that battle Inuyasha would have considered going to hell with Kikyo. After what Sango said earlier regarding Inuyasha's visits to the well, that had changed my view about him completely. He had waited for me to come back for three daunting years. If I hadn't showed up, Inuyasha would still be lonely. How many people (or demons) would actually love a half-demon?

I do. There was no question about that.

Swayed by his words, I encircled his torso with my own thin, slight arms. I wished to convey to him my own heartfelt words and address my love to him, but as always, hesitation had glued my lips shut. I secretly wished he would be free to speak to me about his own feelings as more often as well, but we are both flawed people since our shared pride had kept us from uttering words of passion and commitment. How numb in the head and ego can ya get?

"Inuyasha?"

"What?"

I had to tell him something. After the way he spilled his guts a moment ago, I just had to say something to him. "Thank you for all you have done for me. Your words and actions…I'll keep them in my heart. You don't seem to realize that you mean so much to me too."

Inuyasha nodded, a tug of his lips indicated another smile was hiding underneath his hard-nosed persona. His eyes then displayed open gratefulness with a hint of curiosity.

He then asked, "What made you come back to this time anyway? Not that I am complaining. I mean what about your brother and the rest of your family?"

The question was a ghost of the conversation I had with Sango earlier. I bet Miroku would inquire later on himself. I decided to be a little more truthful to him then I was to Sango, threading my fingers through his beads around his neck so that I didn't have to look at his eyes for when I start my own explanation.

"I gave up everything in my era for a few reasons; one was that I felt that this time has my heart in it. I feel like I belong here."

He snorted, "'Course you do."

I smiled, my attention still on his necklace, "Secondly, I missed my friends. I have people here who understand my hardships and love me just as much if not more so than the ones in Tokyo. The battles in this time had strengthened the bond I have with them. Something I was never able to forge with the friends in my time, not that I'm choosing one over the other."

"And?" he tilted his head.

This last reason was going to leave me embarrassed.

I took in a long and heavy breath, "Lastly, it's because of…of…uhhh…" I swallowed, a lump forming in my throat. "It's also because of you."

He blinked. I counted three times.

His head angled slightly more to the right, "Me? You came back because of me?"

His eyes held my gaze once more, forcing me to face him. A single glimpse of his unique countenance had left me ensnared by his captivating eyes. I hated that about him sometimes. You could never look away once his bronzed pupils locked you into their ancient depths. I always ended up spilling truths to him before because of that inhuman stare.

I gave a small affirmative, "Yeah. I returned because I wanted to see you again. I missed you until it got painful. Sometimes I thought about what danger you could be in and what you could be doing, praying that none of your actions would leave you injured. Like on the new moon. Ever since I learned about that long ago, I took it upon myself to protect you like you do for me. I wanted to remain beside you, through thick and thin alike."

His expression softened, "You wanted to be beside me is all?"

I gave him another smile as an answer.

Inuyasha and I sat there for another couple of minutes, his face suddenly looming over mine. His intentful gaze was firmly arrested onto my own. I felt another rise of color stain my cheeks as he watched me. A small film of sweat built itself up around my exposed neck as the humid atmosphere hovered around us, warmth clinging to me just as much as Inuyasha himself. The air seemed to contract between us just then.

I suddenly recalled a moment like this before; back before our battle with Naraku. I had gone home to get some homework done, but found myself alone at the house since mom and the others had won a hot springs trip and left for a few days. My solitude left me begging for some company until Inuyasha showed up to give me my bow; Kaede wanted Inuyasha to bring it to me thinking that my tests were actually demons instead. I asked for Inuyasha to keep me company off-handedly. When it had been just the two of us in my bedroom, we talked for a bit and then we almost kissed. My stupid little brother just _had_ to come in at that moment, just as Inuyasha was literally only a breath away from my lips. That had left me stuttering and abashed, all the while Inuyasha had even left the house because he couldn't look me in the eye for a week.

That look he gave me when we were caught in that suspended time, I saw all kinds of emotions I never thought him capable of displaying. I couldn't name them all, but I thought I saw raw unbridled love and sincerity written all over his somewhat angular features.

And yet here we are, victim to our thoughts and feelings here in this tree, away from Souta, away from any prying eyes of the villagers and practically the entire world. We were away from their judgmental looks and opinions, our sweet reunion ripening. I could only wonder what Inuyasha himself was thinking.

I hadn't noticed that the distance between us had shortened. Somehow, I was impossibly closer to him and his smell, my body blindly molding itself to the contours of his own. My breath hitched ever so slightly as our lips tipped nearer to each other, my heart picking up a frantic rhythm I was sure that Inuyasha could hear. His right hand went and clasped my left, his grip firm but tender. I noticed his eyes lingered for a split second onto my lips and back onto my face, searching for some indication for me to stop him or to allow him to go on. His silver-flecked stare seemed to catch every movement of my body, leaving me to feel exposed to his every whim and command. My other free hand went around his slim waist, my touch flowing seamlessly along the muscle that delicately corded his body together. At my touch, he shifted somewhat, his sinews smoothly running along underneath his sun-warmed skin.

Great gods he was beautiful. With or without demon blood. How could a man like him have a face like this?

I shifted enough in my seat so I could face him, prompting him to lift me up so that I was more comfortably seated on his thighs. He placed my left hand over his cheek, allowing me to trace circles around his unusually even features. Next, my hand left his own grip just to follow a trail down to his jawline, my fingertips ghosting over his lips for just a fluttering second. His eyes became half-lidded underneath my touch, his right arm migrating down to my waist, sending electric jolts up my body even though my kimono kept his clawed palms aloft. His other hand that hugged my upper body went to my spine, his talons moving up to the back of my sweat-lathered neck. We became aware only of each other, the world falling away from us as we continued in our caresses of endearment. I had waited for god knows how long for a moment like this to arise.

By now, we were nose to nose, our bangs tickling across our faces. My legs had mysteriously wrapped themselves around his hips at some unknown point as my arms entwined themselves around his neck. Sweat clung to him and to his every pore, making him glisten in the shadows of the star-filled night. Our breathing mixed and mingled, my belly alive with that familiar butterfly sensation. His body heat melded into my skin, forever graphing an image of his muscled form like a hot iron branding me. Our eyes shut themselves just as our lips met; for the first time after those bitter years spent apart.

It was originally an inquisitive kiss, a soft and simple press of the lips meant to make up for the lost time away from each other. For a few short minutes, we sat like that, experimentally gauging our feelings towards one another. I could tell that years of heartache and distrust had made him less bold and more hesitant then he should be. My heart rang loudly in my ears, but my answering smile was an invitation for him to find a deeper connection between us. I wanted to desperately show him how much I love him; to show him that he should not be afraid of getting his own affection rejected.

He had felt my smile grace my lips, gently probing with a curious tongue that slowly parted my mouth. I answered willingly and allowed him admittance. I guided him closer with the action of tilting his silvery head, right into my warmth. His fangs were a surprise to me for some reason, but I merely followed their curve with my own tongue; gingerly explaining wordlessly that I accepted all of his strange and foreign features. We found each other's taste just then, eliciting a moan from myself that he graciously stole. I felt his own lips pull at the corners in a smile that indicated that I had melted another one of his mental barriers. This action has emboldened me to turn our slow and passionate dance of the tongue into a more moderate battle.

He began to nip at my bottom lip, but it was only for the briefest of seconds. I can tell that he wanted to explain to me his intentions behind it, leaving me to guess that he was totally thrilled that I chose to return to him and his kiss. I was still profoundly curious about any alien gesture he would perform due to his nature a half-demon. But who says I could not explore that? Most girls would like guys who are different, right?

The salty tang of his sweat had flavored our kiss, leaving me to pick up on the whiff of his male scent that was spiced with Mother Nature's assorted snap of grass and tree gum aromas. I wondered what he had picked on me due to his sharpened views. Our kiss grew deeper still, his arms tightly holding me to himself. Even a weak human nose can pick up on Inuyasha's unique smell. I threaded my fingers through his off-white mane of hair, combing my thin fingers through its length. Our breaths flowed in and out of our lungs in perfect harmony. I hate to admit that I was aroused by him as of this moment; every little bit of him had attracted me to him except for his horrendous temper and inability to admit his weaknesses. Sitting in trees wasn't my idea of a spot to kiss. Nonetheless, I needed him and desired him, loving Inuyasha in a way I'd never love anyone else. I bet he was able pick up on my physical wants; I hope it doesn't repulse him.

After what seemed to have gone on for a while, we parted and leveled our breathing. Our faces were flushed furiously due to both the steamy night weather and our longing for each other. I had never imagined that our kiss would have gone on for so long and so deeply. It had been better than the last two we shared.

Inuyasha's eyes were a little dilated, slightly larger than usual after that kiss. It was likely that he can see every miniscule detail on me, including individual hair strands: a feature that was unlike most humans. I bet he had night vision since he led me out here a while ago without running into any obstructions. That advent thought made me feel self-conscience of what I look like to him sometimes.

He looked me up and down slowly as if evaluating our earlier display, but his expression was one of muted joy since his smile actually had the nerve to appear. His thumbs rubbed in circles on my sides in slow and deliberate motions as he leaned me into him once again. He buried his face into my shoulder, my hair blanketing his nose as his breath drifted across my neck. I resumed my intense blushing as I felt his lips loom somewhere around my ear as our arms stayed locked around our bodies like a cage. His heart hammered against his ribs as my breasts pressed against sternum. I could feel it.

"Kagome," he murmured huskily.

That sent chills into my spine. He sounded as if he was actually physically savoring my name through taste. My heart warmed as I felt his fangs barely graze my ear.

He then shivered for some unknown reason before saying, "Glad to have you home with us. With me…"

I could only smile, "I'm glad to be home, Inuyasha. You wanna know what?"

"Hmmm?"

"I'm not going anywhere ever again. You're stuck with me."

"And you're stuck with me," he retorted with some of that old cocky attitude of his. "You're a magnet for trouble. Someone has to keep an eye out for you and your klutzy self."

He parted from the embrace and grinned at me, his startling white fangs brighter than his hair. I found the smirk to be contagious. I was so smitten with this half-demon that it makes me feel dizzy sometimes. At least I can safely guess that he may just as well feel the same about me too.

Just as a yawn crept out of me, Inuyasha nudged me to indicate that we were to reposition ourselves so that I could lie back against him. I had to unwind my legs from him much to my embarrassment and turn round carefully so that we both faced stars and half-moon just as it touched the trees in the horizon. I also had to fix my wrinkled gown as well. As my head slouched across his chest, he enveloped me in another curtain of red around my waist. Sleep had turned me sluggish, my eyes rendered moist with tears from my next yawn. He placed his chin on top of my head once more, yawning widely enough so that one would see every tooth and canine in his jaws. It's fair to say we both were fatigued from the daily festivities brought about from my return.

"Good night, Inuyasha," I had uttered to him. " I'll see you in the morning."

"You better be here in the morning," he grumped. "I don't to be dreamin' this up again."

That had me recoiling in surprise, but I had to agree with him. I prayed for that when I woke up tomorrow, I would be in Inuyasha' arms and not be in a tangle of my sheets and pillows in my old home. I know that sounded harsh since that was where my blood relatives that I love so much dwell, but I had family here too. I had a home no matter where, or rather when I lived.

Just after my word of prayer, I let the lull of sleep claim me into its enticing oblivion, waiting for the morn that would have both my friends and Inuyasha awaiting me in the dawn light.


	3. Prelude

That first week back after my return was something I knew I had to learn to accommodate myself with.

I was overjoyed when I awoke to see Inuyasha himself staring back at me, waiting for me to arise. I knew ever since seeing him in that pre-damn shine instead of those dull pink walls of my bedroom was something I had to get acquainted with. I even so much as mused myself with a pinch of my arm just to see that I was dreaming, and thankfully it wasn't some stupid illusion. I was thrilled to know that this would be the start of my many years spent with Inuyasha, seeing how I would have wanted it to be any other way.

We had headed back to the village, the citizenry busying themselves with assorted tasks and chores just to support both themselves and their families. As I passed by with Inuyasha, many of the citizens waved at me eagerly, children jumping up and down excitedly. I had changed out into a typical priestess garb when I arrived; bringing Sango back the summer Kimono she had let me have. She offered to wash it too since Kaede needed me to help her and Rin out. I needed to start learning the names and roles of the people living here so that I knew who did what and how they support the entire settlement.

An even, working flow was established in its routine, but I had to learn how I was to become part of this flow as a miko since Kaede's age was pushing her closer and closer into her grave sadly. Every decent village had a miko or priest to guard its confines and take care of the people who lived in it. I did have one advantage on my side that other shrine maidens seriously lacked: I possessed the knowledge of modern science and medicine. That combined with Kaede's existing intuition will definitely aid me in my training. Moreover, I had the benefit of having certain immunities to common ailments all thanks to my shots in my time era received as a child. I would be able to approach sickened men and women everywhere without _some_ fear of infection.

I followed Kaede and Rin out into a field that was a major hot spot for herbs and remedies, all of us carrying baskets and already withstanding the heat of the day before it was even noon. Inuyasha was not too far behind me. He never was too far from me, always within screaming distance if I needed something. He was probably being a little too clingy despite the fact that I hadn't been here no more than twenty-four hours at best. He needed to be where Miroku and the others could call on him whenever they needed the assistance; not stuck to my hip like some lost puppy. Pun intended.

Just as I considered the old times' sake 'sit' command, Rin beamed up at me, her face alit with eagerness. "I can't believe you're actually here now, Miss Kagome! Everything around was getting a little dull anyway; but with you around, things will surely be better!"

"Thank you for that, Rin. I appreciate the thought and compliment. How is Lord Sesshoumaru these days?"

She always got even more excited at the mention of his name. She spun on the ball of her heel and squeaked.

"I had not seen much of Lord Sesshoumaru as of late, but he will surely grace us with his visitation soon! He always brings me something though… I tell him not to do that but he does it anyway. It is a little odd."

"Did Sesshoumaru give you all of your clothes? You have some fine silks and garments for a simple villager."

"Yes! He gave me this," she spun more slowly this time so I may see her attire in finer detail. "He gave me lots more too. If he gives me anymore, I would have enough to fill an entire storehouse! He is so kind and beneficent, and a great leader too."

_Sesshoumaru sure does strike me as an odd demon. I wonder why he does this for Rin. I thought he hated mortals…_

"Does his lordship always come around?" I inquired.

"Just every once in a while. Enough times to make me happy and when he gets the time. He is a busy almighty demon after all!"

Kaede chuckled, "My my. Ye sure can be talkative whenever Lord Sesshoumaru is mentioned."

Rin blushed, her face a brilliant pink.

I turned my attention onto the elderly miko, "Sesshoumaru doesn't bother anyone when he comes by, right?"

"That's right, young Kagome. He does put some of the villagers on edge though. I am not surprised by this considering the fact that he used to have an aversion towards most mortals."

"How does he treat Inuyasha?" I needed to know how changed Sesshoumaru really was.

Kaede let out a small cackle, "Inuyasha is not acknowledged at all. They treat each other like complete strangers. Sometimes Inuyasha isn't even here whenever Sesshoumaru appears. The young half-demon is out with Miroku most days and gone on others."

"No fights, scowls or insults?"

"None."

We bent over our work during the next minute, my mind struggling to grasp what Lady Kaede had informed me. It was truly remarkable to note that Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha had been on their best behavior around each other after Naraku. It seemed to me that Sesshoumaru only wanted to test Inuyasha's strength after all these years of their exhaustive and open displays of animosity. I could not help but wonder what suddenly stopped the two of them from having it out in one final fight, considering that Sesshoumaru has the Bakusaiga and all. Not that I am complaining about the change; in fact I was grateful.

We continued to work in the field for the next hour, the sun reaching its zenith by the time we were done and heading back. You can bet that Inuyasha was right behind me, his topaz stare as intense as ever. He was working to keep me within his vision, not that it was needed. I was to live out the rest of my days here in the feudal era with him and had every intention of spending time with Inuyasha at some point during the day. He didn't have to keep following me around like this, though I appreciated his concern. Whatever the case, as long as Inuyasha does his work and I do mine, we can spend some time together without him having to act like some stalker.

Sweat and heat had made my movements lazy alongside an itch building on my thighs. My bangs clung to my eyelids, causing me to wipe them along my temples. I placed the basket of herbs next to a mat alongside the other plants Rin and Kaede had collected. Next, Kaede showed me how to pulverize the leaves and roots into balms and another assortment of remedies. I knew I had my work cut out for me when I didn't do something right on the first attempt. It made me irate, especially on this god-forsaken heat wave that had suddenly decided to roll in without warning today. We even had to stop early and go on to other matters that must be faced in my apprenticeship. What a great second day back this was; it made me wonder what the rest of my days will look like.

000

Some days passed without incident. Each day was spent with doing tasks and grunt work, my reprieve in which brief as I would spend my hours with Inuyasha; whom in which had been given his own chores. I had to practice archery again, since I felt that that I may have gotten rusty. Whenever Sango was available, she would help me practice, saying something about needing to keep in shape since family life would dull her own attributes. I was grouchy but I didn't complain during my first week back, since I did not want to make Inuyasha feel bad about me giving up my comfortable life in the future just to be with him. I certainly didn't regret it, but I also don't want him to think otherwise.

As it turns out, everyone in the village was alright with Shippo, Inuyasha, Sesshoumaru on occasion, and whatever other demon was neutral and/or friendly. The inhabitants even asked Inuyasha for help on farm work and the like since his strength has some use; not to mention Miroku's requests for Inuyasha to accompany him outside the village to slay some trouble-making demons and get paid for it. It was odd to see that mortals and demons alike getting along, sharing one village and having endured the trials of Naraku's petulant persona together. I had never felt such an overwhelming sense of peace at the thought before, seeing it was a world that seemed unlikely to exist; a world I knew Inuyasha wanted to see as well. It was a home that he and his mother had both righteously deserved many years before, although to Inuyasha's horrid disappointment and grief his mother never got to see it. It was a small and fragile balance that sought my protection and the approval of the people and demons that live here. All the villagers appreciated the help rendered to them by these immortal beasts.

All except for one.

A man, whom I believed was around Lady Kaede's approximate age, was openly furious at the prospect that demons had anything to do with the village. He was old enough to have quite a few gray hairs on his patchy skull and was slimmer than most men at his age. He had a walking stick that doubled in another use whenever demons of any sort neared him. A flask clung to his hip wherever he hobbled and he always gave anyone, humans and demons alike, a condescending scowl. The rags you mistaken on him for clothes stank of his sweat and age and he had the mouth of a sailor: Almost as colorful as Inuyasha's horrible language. He had been around since Kikyo's time when she was alive and running the same village we all dwell in. He would have been only a boy at the time though. So in essence, he _definitely_ remembers Inuyasha coming to live here all those years ago and still hasn't forgiven him for the act against Kikyo that Inuyasha himself has never thought of committing. He knew Naraku did it and yet this cranky geezer still had the gall to call out Inuyasha in the crime.

He was known as ol' man Yuuto.

Every party is going to have its party pooper every once in a while. There is no such thing as a utopia after all, even when I treat the village like one. In all honesty, it was; unless you count the only resentful elder part of it.

"'Oi! Wench!"

_Speak of the devil._

I was bent over my work as children of the village clung to me, begging me to play with them. I turned around and sure enough, the old fart was approaching a lot faster than his age would have let on. The children scuttled behind me like roaches in the kitchen when you turned on the light as he stopped in front of me just a yard and half away. I faced him and gave him a blank expression; I was trying to hide my rudeness.

"I need 'erbs for me achin' joints. Now," his grating voice ground out.

"I'll be right on it," I smiled feinghly at him, the temperature and humidity doing nothing to quell my frustration of this man. "It's for your knees or shoulders, right?"

"Of course it is!" He hissed. "What'cha thinkin' joints are!? Me arse?"

A barbed comeback struggled out of my throat but I fought it back. I had to be kind as a miko. So I turned and dug through my items to find what he needed; I'm sure he would have come to Kaede first but she was out at the moment for some errand in the field. Yuuto was familiar with her and actually respected her on occasion. I bet raising children would be easier than dealing with the old man.

I gave him what he needed and smiled again, hoping that he would leave before I could say something awful to him. When did I start this Inuyasha like behavior? "There you are, sir! Fresh Rosemary oil to rub on your sore joints. What would really help if you-"

"Quit yer yappin' wench! I don't need to be takin' orders from ye!" He barked. I had shut my mouth, but Yuuto had something else on his mind. I didn't understand why he would suddenly go into this rant if all I was about to say was how to take care of his joints. "Ya thinks ye be so purdy and what not since ye get comments that ya look like mi' lady Kikyo! But choo ain't!"

I noticed from the corner of eye that Inuyasha's ears had lifted nearby, talking to the good-hearted local carpenter. His back was too us but the little appendages swiveled backward to catch our conversation. If Yuuto knew what was good for him and his joints, he would have to silence himself and refrain from the insults.

But the old man pushed his luck farther without even knowing it, "-And another thing: You ain't special and you ain't nuthin' but a shadow of mi' lady! You are just as repugnant as those demons and that filth ya call a half-demon! You let demons and half-freaks into the village and endanger us!"

Inuyasha's shoulders tensed, his ears flattening and a look of concern came over the carpenter whom in which he had been speaking to a moment before. I thought I caught the tell-tale crack of Inuyasha's whitened knuckles. The hair on the top of his head stood on end as his anger stirred. The carpenter had begun to reach out but stopped partway as if in hesitation of further aggravating his half-demon neighbor. I felt my mouth go dry upon feeling Inuyasha's rising spike of youki.

"Mr. Yuuto…" I started.

He cut me off, "Kikyo isn't a well-jumpin' freak and she is a better priestess than anyone else! Everyone here only lets those infernal beasts in 'cause Kikyo felt sorry fer that insufferable, mud-blooded mutt that we all know you would fuc-"

A silver blur, flecked with red and white had launched itself on top on the unsuspecting elder, knocking him straight into the ground and dropping the rosemary oil and Oakwood cane in the process. There had been no warning of any sort, so you could say it was an ambush. Inuyasha's puce-colored face snarled, contorting into this feral, fang-baring monstrosity rivaled only by his demon form. His ears were plastered to his head and the furs on them bristled angrily as his claws loomed over the defenseless elder, the other hand had its talons wrapped securely into the old man's collar on his clothes. Inuyasha's eyes were purely slitted as a thunderous growl escaped his swelling chest. Yuuto whimpered, looking smaller and smaller by the minute.

"Inuyasha, NO!" I bellowed.

Inuyasha's parted lips opened wider, all his teeth easily seen by a group of passerby who looked on a mixture of emotions. Some had obviously fear, shock, anger, and strangely for only a couple of them… _approval?_ I thought I had hallucinated that since I was determined to stop the hanyou's hell-bent rage from being inflicted upon the frightened villager.

Inuyasha let out a beastial roar and snapped his jaws, his voice a pitiless undertone, "_If you ever say such slanderous things to LADY Kagome again…_" His anger had choked off the rest of his venomous words.

I latched onto his wrist that hung suspended in the air, his claws flexing, the veins throbbing in it only matched the ugly lines that pulsed in his temples. It was like holding back a deranged rabid bear. Even at my touch he did not react, his mind darkened by this bloodthirsty haze that clouded his vision. I was thankful he was wearing the Tetsusaiga at the moment. His demon form would have slipped out otherwise. With a look like that, I bet even Naraku would think twice about inciting Inuyasha's wrath.

Yuuto screamed, "Get this half-breed off of me! He's crazy! He's insane! He's ruthless I tell ya ruthless! He kill us all!"

"Inuyasha, stop! Let the old guy go!" I pleaded, trying to wrench back his hand to keep him from tearing Yuuto to shreds. "It's not worth it! He's just a misguided, weak and elderly mortal! Please!"

Inuyasha's eyes didn't remove themselves from the cowering man beneath him, but I felt the muscle in his arm slackening more and more by the second at the sound of my voice. I traced my fingers down the meridian lines of his wrist, following the pathways of energy used in meditation while working my way slowly to his forearm and stopping at his shoulder. My palm laid flat against his back and right shoulder blade, which was strained from the effort his unbridled fury was taxing his muscle with. I started to rub him in an up and down motion before evolving that into a more circular pattern, lowering myself to my knees so I could coax him into relenting. His guttural growl lessened into a rumble in his chest, his ears beginning to lift slowly from his scalp. I kept rubbing, a smile creasing my face as I watched him snap out of his rage. Just as his arm reluctantly went to his side and his shoulders began to slump, I threw both my arms around his narrow waist, whispering only loud enough for his hyper-sensitive ears to hear.

"It's alright, Inuyasha. It's alright. You don't need to beat the life out of him to prove your point."

Inuyasha snorted like a winded bull that just stopped its charge. My hands rested on his abdomen, his gut tense and his eyes downcast, staring past the helpless Yuuto beneath him. As I finally released the surly hanyou, he rose to his feet and breathed in and out, counting to ten under his breath like I do whenever I get all fired up.

He had only one thing to say to Yuuto after that.

"…Get lost," He said with voice loaded with the promise of harm if the old man did not heed him.

Yuuto struggled to his feet and took off, completely forgetting the Rosemary oil that was supposed to aid his aches. He left his Oakwood cane behind as well, tripping on nothing as he sprinted away (more like shuffled in his old age).

Inuyasha didn't give any of the onlookers a single glance; I supposed he was frightened of finding what was on their faces. He must feel ashamed of his brutal attack on an old coot like Yuuto. Especially since it happened in public and with the children around from earlier.

_Oh god. The kids saw that._

I glimpsed over to the entrance of the medicine hut (where I temporarily lived until my own home was constructed), only to see the terrified looks the youngsters were giving Inuyasha. They whined like wounded pups and fled to their parents, the urge to play suddenly gone. The other villagers left as well, giving Inuyasha a poisonous glance, uttering something incoherent about the incident. If the villagers had not been so familiar with Inuyasha, I was so sure that they would dismiss him as the hanyou he was and loathe him utterly.

Inuyasha abruptly turned to leave, but a firm hand caught him in midstep. For some reason, I thought it was Miroku at first, but a closer inspection led me to the conclusion that it was the friendly carpenter. It was the same man Inuyasha was talking to earlier.

"Hey," he had a hearty voice, warm with encouragement. I liked this man the instant I saw no fear or prejudice in his eyes. He wasn't a demon hater like Yuuto.

Inuyasha didn't look up, but he responded with a typical, "Whad'ya want?"

The carpenter's sunburnt features were as gentle as his tone. "Don't feel bad."

"I don't feel bad at all!" Inuyasha turned to face him. He removed the big man's stocky arm. "That old cretin deserves whatever he had comin' to him and-"

The man shook his head. Inuyasha looked sour but he bit his tongue as the man said, "You may mean that, but we should never wish misfortune or inflict it upon others."

An indifferent "Keh" was Inuyasha's reply.

"You're a good-heated soul, Inuyasha. The monk says so, Lady Kaede says so, this young priestess says so-" He had gestured to me, which made me giggle and smile at him. He continued, "Aw hell. Most of the village knows so, and so do I! It's just Yuuto and some of the stubborn old goats around here that make it difficult. Some people had actually wished Yuuto would learn a little respect one day anyway. You were just defending our fine priestess and her honor from that man's bitter commentary. Nothing the rest of us would have done ourselves."

_I had wondered why some of the villagers didn't stop Inuyasha. It seems to me that Yuuto is not without enemies._

Inuyasha was silenced for just a second, as if thinking of a reply before saying, "Get off my case, Lon. I don't feel a lick of regret for the geezer. He's just lucky Kagome cared enough to save his sorry ass before I tanned his hide."

The one named Lon smirked, but I quickly deduced that it was a false notion. Lon and I both knew that Inuyasha was feeling the pangs of guilt and sorrow after his earlier display of violence in front of those children. We also knew that Inuyasha did not feel in the least bit sorry for the crotchety old man he was about to punish. Nonetheless, he needed comfort applied in his own, odd way. Normally, I was that balm to Inuyasha's nerves. And with that sudden realization that I was the only one that Inuyasha trusts enough to assist him in such ways, my mind ruminated on the puzzling concept on how he was able to get by these last three years without me. It made my heart bleed for him all the more.

I sighed mildly, looking to the congenial young man next to me with and honest smile. "Lon is your name, huh?"

"Yes ma'am, Lady Kagome. I am Lon sonofnone. A humble carpenter who looks to aid those around him, no matter who they are."

"'Son of none'?"

"It means I don't know my real family except for the family I had come to have here, milady."

"Ah. Well thank you for your generous attempt to help ease Inuyasha."

The bitter hanyou snorted again nearby, his back to us and with his arms folded across his chest, hands in opposite sleeves.

I pretended to have not heard him, "Thank you anyway for your compassionate gesture. If I may ask though, how do you know Inuyasha anyway? Not many are so willing to approach him due to his prickly personality."

Lon had laughed boisterously at my musing all the while Inuyasha shot me a look. "Indeed mi' lady! But Inuyasha does not bother me at all. I had inquired to monk Miroku of the village's only mixed resident and the monk divulged to me the details. I am aware of Inuyasha and the workings of his mind. Also, Inuyasha and I are working on a project that-ouch!"

At that moment, Inuyasha had chosen to step on Lon's foot as in to stop him from spilling some little known something or other. Lon shuddered but seemed to get Inuyasha's meaning at something, instaniously striking as suspicious to me. Lon merely shrugged it off after a moment of recovery and discontinued his explanation. He gave me a merry grin and made a waving gesture as if to physically push the idea away.

"I'm sorry. I sometimes get side-tracked during such banter. I was meaning to get back to work anyway. If you need anything, Lady Kagome, anything at all, you can always ask. Oh and as for the old codger Yuuto, don't worry about him none. _I'll _have him straightened out."

I bowed politely at him, who in turn bowed back, albeit a lower dip in his gesture. "Thank you, Lon. You have my gratitude. You take care of yourself for the time being. Oh! And please give Yuuto this rosemary oil next time you see him."

I had to get another bundle of the oil and gave it to the trusting Lon, who only laughed as he said, "You never hold it against someone and still you extend your kindness to the cruelest bastards out there. You never cease to amaze me and this village mi' lady. Just be careful of whom in which you extend your kindness to."

I nodded and replied, "I shall take those words to heart. You have a great day, Lon."

"Aye. And good fortune to you and me angry friend there," he had said with a twinkle and was on his way.

000

I wondered why my loving biracial companion would want anything to do with an ordinary common wood-crafting denizen. But if I brought the matter to Inuyasha himself up front I knew he would not peacefully give away anything to betray his secretive intentions. A part of me knew though they wouldn't do anything to hurt or disturb life in these parts of the region. That would not even cross their minds considering that I trusted and loved Inuyasha indefinitely, no matter what crime or heinous act he may have committed. The guy tried to kill me once but we have been through too much and experienced even more that had built our trust in each other.

Mental ramblings aside, I dedicated myself on the impending task on hand and tended to the care of Sango's trouble-making twins Aiko and Aimi; who have a nasty tendency to disappear the instant you would look away. I always had the bulk of my attention preoccupied onto those little brats seeing how Sango had chores to do herself. She was trying to get some bath water to heat, since after all the feudal era lacks actual running water. Miroku and Inuyasha were gone again today, exterminating another demon in an adjacent village some half a day's walk away. They would not be back until a little after sun down.

"Kagome, could you bring me Aiko and Aimi? I have the water heated and ready to go."

I nodded, grabbing both their hands and gently pulling them into step beside me. Sango smiled as she watched us for some odd unseeing reason. As we both approached the bath house, the girls babbled and pulled, realizing that they were about to be soaked. They don't seem to like baths at all. I was amused by their attempts at escape, but my mind wondered over to something else entirely.

"Hey Sango?"

"Yes?"

"Can we talk?"

Sango planted her hands on her hips and gave me one of those matter-of-factly stares. "Of course you can, Kagome. You know you can always talk to me. What," She trailed off somewhat, a thought hitting her. "Is it Inuyasha again? Did he do something horrible to you? He better not even THINK about it."

I unknowingly let the twins go, shaking my head at her and waving my arms. "No, it's not that! It's really just…"

"Just what?"

Before I could say anything, I just noticed the doublesome duo making a deceptively swift getaway. It was strange and funny to watch, but it resulted in us going after them. We caught them with minimal effort, carrying both inside the bath house, carefully stepping over the wooden threshold into the interior.

"As you were saying?" Sango inquired.

With a slow smile, I continued. "It is about Inuyasha… I wanted to ask about how he faired during the past three years. And personally, I also wanted to express to you his behavior throughout the week I've been back."

By this point, we had succeeded in removing the garments of the thrashing pair of wriggling twins. They protested against the whole concept of cleanliness seeing how they adore mud and chasing poor Shippo around completely blanketed in filth. We managed to get them into the bathtub and proceeded with putting in some natural soaps; we then turned our attention to some rags and started to wipe them down thoroughly. I began to question Sango more about Inuyasha's behavior during my absence, seeing how she started the topic earlier that same week during the celebration but we never had the chance to elaborate on it. Sango replied accordingly and explained to me Inuyasha's morose behavior and sullen silence while I had not been there to alleviate him of his sorrows. His new change to his normally clipped personality baffled me; I thought he would take advantage of my absence to give Shippo an extra whack in the skull seeing how I was the one who stopped his childish mannerisms. Apparently, Sango informed me that Inuyasha hardly thought of pounding the young kit and proceeded with his self-imposed solitude. The more of this information I gleaned from my long-time friend, the more upset I became about the whole idea of Inuyasha living out his years all alone. Thinking about it hurt considerably.

_Well I'm just glad that I'm here now, willingly spending the rest of my days with him. I want him to be happy… If he is only at peace when I'm here then he doesn't have to worry about me being gone ever again._

At the end of Sango's recital of the past few years I fought the urge to cry. I succeeded in stifling my sniffles and proceeded to clean Aiko of the mud in her underarms, ruminating over the whole discussion. There were still some more things that need to be said before the night was through however.

"Sango, do you really think Inuyasha truly loves me?"

_Oh god why did I ask so blatantly! __He kissed you for crying out loud! Right on your first night back!_

She sharply held me with her pointed stare alone, but it wasn't meant to be threatening so much as it was more chastising, "I have not the slightest doubt in my mind that he does, Kagome! His actions speak for themselves! But then again, he always was more of an 'actions speak louder than words' type."

"You really think so?" My question sounded a little more hesitant than I wanted it to be.

A resolute nod was my answer from the mother of three, "Of course. There was a reason why Inuyasha kept going back to the well every three days no matter what the weather was and sat there for hours at a time and didn't even think of following Kikyo into hell. It's also the same reason why he protected you from harm and willingly jumped into the Meido to retrieve you without a single thought as if to what would happen to himself! He trusts you with his greatest weakness and he follows you wherever you go. Kagome, why would you even ask? Has he treated you strangely?"

I shook my head again, finishing with the wipe down of the tiny girl who giggled at the sight of the bubbles. Apparently, she was ticklish too. "Nothing too unusual or out of the ordinary. It's just that I wish he doesn't keep secrets and acts like a complete stranger to me."

"He's probably just unsure of how to approach you with his own feelings. He isn't the kind of guy that speaks of their views and thoughts of certain situations," she inputted while taking Aimi out of the tub and towel drying her. "Did he do something to you that you can't make sense of? You know him better than the rest of us."

"Hmm, be that as it may, Sango, I just wanted to know where we stand ever since what happened after our battle with Naraku."

"Whenever we asked him about that, he just evasively dodges the subject and mumbles something about a demon that needs slaying in another village."

"So you guys don't know about what happened after my disappearance?"

"Nope," Sango shook her head again, grabbing her toddler's night time tunic.

I followed her lead, taking Aiko out of the tub and towel drying her as well and then dressing her up for bed. "Me and Inuyasha…" I slowly began. "We were stuck in this weird nexus of the time rift the well normally serves as. Somehow, Naraku had wished that I'd be trapped in this go-between and hopefully desire freedom so much that I may be compelled to wish on the sacred jewel to get out. The jewel had a mind of its own; telling me over and over that it could take me home if I so dearly wished for it, but that was just a ruse. It just wanted me to darken it so that the wish itself was selfish and could never be erased from existence."

Sango tilted her head slightly, a trait she likely picked up from Inuyasha. I knew I had her attention raptly fixed on me at that point.

Just as we began walking over to Kaede's hut so we can pick up Komori, I proceeded. "A selfish wish would allow the jewel to reappear sometime during history, of this fact I knew; but even with that thought in mind the jewel very nearly succeeded in tainting both my mind and my wish. I was all alone."

"And where was Inuyasha?" Sango asked just as we reached the tiny abode.

I rapped upon the door frame, letting Lady Kaede and Rin know that we had arrived. I took my time in answering Sango's question just as Rin came to the door way and radiantly beamed up at us, holding a drooling Komori in her thin arms. We smiled back, thanking her for babysitting the infant while we were busy. I inquired about Kaede's health but Rin merely replied that the elderly miko was asleep already. Sango took the baby who began to bubble with giggles as he saw his mama, the twin tots reaching up for their little brother. As I observed them, I felt this hollow sensation in my gut and heart, a sudden desire in nurturing my own children gripping me with a vice.

_My own children… Could I have a family like Sango and Miroku?_

We bidded Rin goodnight and headed over to Sango's home, the former slayer urging me to go on with my story. Breaking me out of my wandering thoughts, I held Aiko's hand and continued. "Anyway, Inuyasha himself was in a battle of his own. Inside the jewel itself mind you."

"Truly? What a strange occurrence," she mumbled.

"Ya got that right, Inuyasha fought for days inside the jewel against demons that kept regenerating. They were immortal souls that were part of the Jewel's magical properties. Inuyasha shouted from somewhere inside the Shikon gem that I was not to make any wishes until he gets there beside me. If it wasn't for his voice, I say that I would have fallen victim to the vicious temptations of the damn thing."

Sango nodded, "Then what happened?"

"I waited. The Shikon no Tama attempted to sway me with another recommendation of me wishing for Inuyasha to get there to me, but all I told it was that I'll keep waiting, no matter how long I sat there. I waited for some while, not knowing much time has passed, but I was not discouraged. I had not the slightest doubt in my mind that Inuyasha would arrive."

We had gotten to Sango's home; the entire thing was big enough to be mistaken for a house instead of a hut. We pushed the door which swung open inwardly, the children all spreading yawns and a sense of fatigue. Sango told me to wait for a minute so she can put her children to bed, leaving me to my own devices for the time being. My thoughts kept arresting themselves upon Inuyasha and what he could be up to, wondering if he was thinking about me as well. The whole conversation had left me to question the ifs like what if the whole endeavor had ended badly; with me wishing for something selfish or if any of the other wishes had been incorrect. It was a scary thought.

Sango returned after some ten minutes, rocking Komori in her arms as the twins slept in the next room soundly. She nodded to me as if to continue, "Komori will be asleep in no time; even if someone was talking. He rests like a champ." She smiled at me.

I returned the smile, being courteous enough to lower my voice as I went on to the conclusion of my story. I told her of how Inuyasha had appeared mot long after the jewel tried to tempt me into making a bad decision and an even worse wish. I was reluctant but I told her of our kiss as well, Sango murmuring something about "Finally!" after that. But still, Inuyasha had saved me from my feeling of loneliness, which ultimately brought me to the one and true correct wish. With him standing beside me, I was no longer afraid of what was yet to come.

"So what was the correct wish?" Sango asked.

I smiled cryptically, "The wish itself was an easy one to make: I was just surprised that Kikyo herself had never thought of it when she presided over its protection. The wish had to be completely selfless. One would have to realize that all the happiness you'd ever want would be right there in front of you, no one person or sacred object could ever give that to you. The jewel would never make anyone happy. No other desire could be fulfilled because any other well-worded heart felt wish could never hope to make the Shikon no Tama go away."

"So what is it already? You have me on edge here!" Sango hissed.

"'I wish for the Shikon Jewel to disappear, forever.'"

Sango's expression was unreadable. She paused and thought for a moment before saying, "That's it? That's all it took to stop this whole damn escapade?"

I grinned, "That's it. It's as the saying goes, 'A fool seeks their fortune upon the distant horizon. A wise man would know true happiness lies right beneath his feet.' Inuyasha was the one who taught that to me." I laughed a little. I just remembered that Miroku was the one who first informed me of the saying itself, although experiencing it took Inuyasha's helping hand.

Komori snored softly against Sango's bosom, fisting his blanket unconsciously. All Sango herself did was chuckle next, though I could tell that it lied between disbelief and ill-humor at the simplicity of it. "I can't believe it, and yet I do believe it. So damn simple. That wish was just so damn obvious! You mustn't think contemptuous and greedy thoughts as you hold the jewel if you ever wanted to get rid of it, which would have lead one to the conclusion that that was the correct wish in the first place. I can't imagine how many individual humans and demons held the thing and didn't ever bother with the whole prospect of dispatching it for good; I would expect every single creature that possessed the jewel had been in of an avaricious nature of some sort. Even holy men and women wanted something out of it. Kikyo was an example." Sango then whispered, "Don't tell Inuyasha I said that last part. But it was only a matter of time until someone got rid of it, right?"

"Right," I chimed.

Komori tossed about in his blanket at the sound of my voice. I lowered my tone and smirked at Sango. We both sat there with stupid looks on our faces, reveling in the thought that we were freed of such a corrupted influence like the Scared Jewel. She broke the slight pause next.

"Well that only confirms it," she added as an afterthought.

"Confirms what?"

She looked right into my eyes, her gaze unwavering as she stated as if it was the most profound thing in the world. "This brings me back to my earlier topic of Inuyasha being there for you and why he acts like a stranger to you sometimes: Between the kiss thing and his actions over the years, I say he definitely loves you to pieces. He's probably afraid that your feelings for him might have changed ever since then. You know how loyal he is. There is no way in hell that he sees you differently now considering what he did at that moment in the rift you guys reunited in."

That much was true. Inuyasha has done so much for me, so much in fact that I wouldn't know where to begin to thank him. And if what Sango said was true about how he felt towards me, then maybe I could give him a stronger hint. I wanted to love him and be loved in return. Don't most girls feel that way too?

"So you think Inuyasha really cares that much about me?"

"That's what I've been trying to tell you. I wouldn't be surprised if he's making a hut for you so you can actually have a home instead of that ramshackle excuse of a shed that you decided to live in. Why else would he be working with Lon?"

_By the gods. Why haven't I thought of that before!? Inuyasha wouldn't want me to live in that thing at all. No wonder he kept telling me to stay at Sango's residence for a while. Man I can be such an airhead at times._

I was flattered and found myself in a better mood than I was earlier that day upon reaching the conclusion that Inuyasha merely wanted me to live more comfortably. He cares about me more than he lets on, of this I knew. But still, I needed to get home and get the bed roll unfurled so I may hop to dreamland myself since it seems the next day will be busy for me. I was willing to bet that Sango was tired but did not want to chase me out of her house because we were close friends. Sighing heavily, I gave her a goodnight and assured her that I will talk to Inuyasha myself tomorrow about our feelings towards each other, ultimately bringing out into the open of my heart's desires and hopefully paving a clearer path to a brighter future. A tomorrow we can share together.

After sliding the door shut, I headed to my little hovel whilst ruminating over my discussion with my comrade, turning every word and detail of the entire visitation into something I could use as a courage boost. Seeing where the slivered moon hung overhead in-between the copse of trees, it just dawns on me that a new moon was in a few more days. That didn't worry me too much since there was practically no danger of a significant demon attack, but that still doesn't mean that there wouldn't be any threat at all. Anything was possible in this crazy dog demon-eat-dog demon world.

I quickly found that Inuyasha wasn't home yet upon my reaching the little herbal storage shed, but that didn't concern me. Knowing him, he would be here where I can greet him in the morning light after his return with Miroku, seeing how he was always so eager to keep me within his line of sight. He wouldn't be gone much longer. I busied myself with the removal of my miko garb and settled into a sleeping gown and tossing my day clothing off to the side carelessly. All I could do for the time being was put out my bed and await the irritable hanyou to arrive soon since the job that they had undertaken had a setting somewhere else a half a day's walk away. I slipped into the bundle of blankets and began to yawn as the full weight of the day had suddenly come crashing down upon my mindset so utterly like Naraku's tainting of the Shikon Jewel. In all honestly, I couldn't wait for Inuyasha to show up. I always felt better to have him so near…

Getting sluggish of thought and feeling the heavy lidded sensation wash over me, I fell victim to the sweet embrace of peaceful limbo where wakefulness met sleep, hardly noticing that a figure in a red tear-moistened blur distorted by my earlier yawns had steadily walked over to me. His steps were near soundless, a flicker of silver causing my eyes to vainly hold the image before drooping closed more and more. I felt a hand tipped with talons gingerly caress my shoulder and then the sweet spices of tree sap and wind-blown grass bombarded my nose with the all-too familiar snap of Mother Nature's aroma. The last thing I detected was the feel of a warmed cloth drape securely over my still form and the press of _his _body enveloping my own.

_I had never thought that dreams can be so sweet. Especially if you're sharing them with someone you love._

* * *

_Hey everybody. Thanks with sticking with me so far; I'm sure the descriptions and flow had seemed slow but that will change soon enough. The next chapters will have some fight sequences and other good stuff going on. You won't be bored once the new chapter is up. I'm sorry that it was so damn boring! I'm trying to improve my writing as I go so bear with me! I know it seems to be a bunch of drabbles but that won't keep happening anymore!_

_Anyway, demon Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru will be here soon. I won't write this story so that it would seem too off-canon. Personally, I like working with the canon series so don't expect to see any unusual changes to the story line. If you have anything to say or add, leave a review. _

_I will warn you however: Inuyasha himself will see some abnormal change, but not that much. You'll see what I mean soon enough. Don't worry too much about his 'charming' personality shifting too much, but expect it to happen. He's grown up too over the years; not just Kagome you know._

_Just thought you should know. :)_


	4. Shadow of Disaster

_**Author's Note: **__I hate how the last chapter went. I meant for it to introduce two characters for later on and give Sango and Kagome some time to catch up with each other. I'm sorry it was boring for all of you, not to mention the long update! Especially since I seem to be doing recaps. That won't be happening again too often or too soon. This one will compensate for it... I promise! I must thank one of my readers in particular for the critique and reviews so I may better myself in storytelling; although all of you have been just as sweet and helpful._

_Hopefully this one could begin to explain what would happen later on in the story. Hang tight everybody. Also be wary of Inuyasha' horrid language too. There will be gore too later on in the battles ahead, explaining the mature rating. Hopefully kiss scenes will be sensual in the long run as well. You may have noticed that I stick to the English adaptation of the series, so sorry for the inconvenience for some of the more hard core Inuyasha purists out there. If you have anything to add or critique, feel free to leave it in a review. Miroku, Sango and Shippo will see more roles. Sesshoumaru will appear soon too._

_I love my fans and readers very much, so I will definitely reply to any commentary post haste. Questions will be answered and thoughts can be exchanged. I will not stray too far from the canon at all unless it's part of the story. Enjoy for now in the meantime._

* * *

Birdsong was the first thing I had heard almost a month later after my return. I had no idea that this hot and humid day would be different for all of us.

Especially for Inuyasha.

When I awoke with the sun's rays piercing the window of the hut, I stirred lethargically, tossing over this warm fabric that clung to my every shape and curve. The feel of it struck me as familiar, prompting me to open my eyes more. They slammed shut again the instant I caught the early light beaming inside of the interior. As I began to sit up, I groped around blindly and fisted the fabric draped over me, noticing that it felt more like fur rather than ordinary cotton. The scent of woodlands and grass clung to it.

_This… This is the robe of the Fire Rat. Inuyasha's been here._

I opened my eyes, but I did not see him. I had to squint against the sun's rays in order to look around for him at all, but I was disappointed when I didn't catch a glimpse of silver and white. Stretching out got the kinks out of my bones and some blood flowing, warming my body further as I arose to greet the day and the workload waiting for me. I threw on my miko hakama and kimono, slipped on the ikitabi and sandals and combed my bed-head tangles with a little more force than necessary. I noticed a fresh basket of vegetables in the left –hand corner of the hut that wasn't there before the previous night, leaving me to guess that Inuyasha left it there for my consumption. My hunger clenched at my innards at the sight of the ripened morsels since I had no dinner the night prior.

_Inuyasha can be thoughtful at the best of times whenever he isn't acting like an insecure prat. I'll hafta thank him for leaving some breakfast for me._

I was out the door in mere minutes after I snatched the Fire Rat suikan and nibbled on a fresh fruit cut just this morning from a tree. I didn't bother grabbing the bow of Mount Azusa; there was some farm work to be done other than the fact that I was tasked with watching over the village children who so desperately wanted to play with me. We did not get the opportunity the other day since I normally had a lot to catch up on after my return.

I jogged over to Kaede's hut and stepped past the reed mat 'door', only to end up with the job to pick some herbs since the elderly miko needed some; Rin tagging along just for the heck of it. We had headed out of the residence while my mind wandered over to what Inuyasha could possibly be up to. I wanted to give him his robe back and get a few quiet minutes with him every once in a while, but those moments were rare. That was when I was approached by a whole team of children who also wanted to follow me out into the fields to not only help me with my chore, but to roll around in the tall grasses in that area.

After saying yes to all of them, the kids all merrily laughed and frantically struggled just to hold my hands. I managed to break up the squabble and made it so that everyone will have the chance to walk beside me, the younger kids being in line first. We fell into step and sang in high notes together, deliberately messing up our tunes and giggling lightly as we took the lead out and pressed on towards the edge of the field where most of our herbs were located in.

Once we had arrived at the meadow outside the village, we all worked in that field as a team; plucking away at some weeds and medicinal remedies and effectively cutting my workload in half. I haven't failed to notice that Inuyasha was walking up to the outer most perimeter of the grassy terrain about an hour into the task. He did not approach however; I would assume that after that whole Yuuto incident he was reluctant to come near the youngsters and possibly frightening them away. He had done well to avoid them during the month, the only kids that come to him at all was Aiko and Aimi, Sango's lovely bundles of trouble. His estranged golden pair of eyes continued to linger onto my countenance, a heavy sigh escaping his sweat-drabbed form. I saw the toils of his labors cling to him in a glistening film. It was apparent that he had been working hard on some unknown project these past few weeks and his presence tells me that he had either finished it or was close to done.

_It's most likely that new hut for me he is working on. I certainly don't doubt it. I can't see why he would be working with Lon on something else._

I felt a slight tug on one of my sleeves, directing my attention back onto one of the young girls who asked about my opinion on the plant she had selected. I told her it was a weed, and hinted her on to what to pick. Just as she scurried off, I tried to locate Inuyasha but he had disappeared from the spot just as I was distracted. I shrugged it off and bent over with a basket in hand and started placing some remedies into it, knowing that he was close by. I knew his youki better than I knew my own aura for crying out loud! He was hiding somewhere just within some yards of me, right-

"You're behind me aren't you, Inuyasha?" It was more statement than question.

A colorful swear word rose from the canopy of a nearby cherry blossom tree, causing me to giggle lightly and glimpse over my shoulder just to catch a splash of red beneath the pink veil of buds and leaves. I got up and neared the trunk, gazing up at the sputtering half-demon who was perched on one of the lower branches. He hid something behind his back suddenly, his eyes gleaming and his ears flicking backward constantly at the sound of a few honeybees hovering some meter away. He sniffed and grumbled inaudibly before he decided to latch onto the branch with the backside of his knees more securely and greeted me while hanging upside-down from his chosen seat. His hair was a shimmering curtain in the bleeding sunlight, blaring down in beams out of the broken foliage. His exotic gaze was level with mine and it captured some of the shine.

"Yo."

"Yo yourself," I said in likewise. "So what brings you here anyway? I thought you said something about the scent of the verdure here bothering your nose?"

"Yeah, it does," He shrugged. In a slight mumble he had also added, "But I came here for you though."

I furrowed my brow, fighting the urge to smile at how cute and almost, may the gods forgive me, _beautiful _he looked in summer light. I decided to cross my arms in a traditional hint of how irritated I was, although I wasn't in all honesty. "Came to take me back to the village because I'm taking too long again is it?" It was an old echo of the times he used to pick me up from my era. Whenever I lingered there for an extended length that went beyond my dates of said return to this time, he'd _always _retrieved me and brought me back with him through the well.

And without fail may I add.

"Not this time," a toothy smirk managed to creep into his features. He managed to release his hold on the tree and landed on one of his hands, the other still concealing something from view behind his back. Once he had gotten to his feet, he faced me and continued with some uncertainty in his tone, "I wanted to give you somethin'."

That had me confounded. He never gave me anything unless it was a hard time or my bows and arrows whenever we needed to fight some demon horde or Naraku. The last thing he gave me was the bow of Mount Azusa at my place because Kaede sent him and even before that he gave me my broken alarm clock he had incidentally taken.

What he had hidden behind his back was something I totally did _not _expect from him at all since it went beyond his nature as a hard-nosed dolt in a desperate need of an attitude adjustment.

He moved his arm from its place behind him with some slow and mechanical hesitation, his palm-colored facial features a brilliant shade of pink rivaling the cherry flowers above his head. His white kosode was still saturated from his sweat from his earlier work now had a new layer building up around it, his honey eyes downcast. Just as that mysterious something was presented to me, my eyes went round with shock as I stared at his meager and yet thoughtful gift.

A single, somewhat pulverized bouquet of varying wildflower, lily, and other unnamed blooms sat clenched in his slightly shaking grip.

"By the gods Inuyasha… Is that…for me?"

His response was a single, quick nod I would have missed had I not been looking at him full in the face. His eyes were shadowed by his unclipped bangs, his cheeks stealing all the show in vibrant display of crimson.

"Justtakeem," he said in an apparent rush.

I was reminded of that time Kouga had brought me some patchy wildflower offering of his own long ago, sometime around Naraku's departure towards Mount Hakureii. This had REALLY ticked off Inuyasha back then, but things were different now. There was no Kouga and Kikyo or other deranged suitor hell-bent on implanting a nasty divide between us and there was no Naraku to harm us and use our feelings against each other. It was strange to think that Inuyasha himself was as I put it, emotionally available. His offering was the greatest symbol of his feelings towards me other than that kiss we shared in that tree a few weeks ago. How could I not return the blush in that moment?

I took the bundle from him with a tint in my cheeks and a smile, tilting my head somewhat at his boldness. I had to admit; the flowers were extraordinarily wonderful, and unexpected, no matter how cliché. The thought had always mattered to me.

"Thank you, Inuyasha. I'll be sure to keep these for as long as I can. If I had the resources, I would have them pressed so I could keep them forever. I do mean it when I say I love them."

Inuyasha finally lifted his eyes from an 'interesting' strand of grass on the ground, giving me a curious boy-like expression mixed with his relief and strangely _elation_. I reached out and grabbed his hand, his warmth almost greater than the atmospheric temperature. I held the bouquet closer to my heart and felt my stomach want to do a flip-flop as Inuyasha squeezed my hand, his stare oddly intense.

"OOOOOOHHH. LADY KAGOME HAS A BOOOOOOYFRIEND!"

A shudder went down my spine, suddenly remembering that the children were there this whole time. The blush in both of our faces deepened, though one was of embarrassment while the other was something else entirely.

The children cackled like witches behind me, their grins mixed with their shared amusement, Rin's laugh being the loudest, but not at all jeering. Inuyasha snarled and released my hand, balling it up into a fist in the next second; the moment clearly gone no thanks to the peanut gallery standing there in the meadow.

Just then I noticed Inuyasha's left ear pivoted backwards towards the village. He rotated his head completely around and flicked his ears constantly, franticly trying to pick up on some unknown sound we humans obviously couldn't hear. His shoulders tensed underneath that white kosode of his, his teeth beginning to appear from underneath his lips. He lifted his nose into the air slightly, taking it in and sifting through its contents.

_What's Inuyasha's problem?_

A foreboding pushed its way through my sense of tranquility, some of the hairs standing on end on the back of my neck, prickling my skin. The half-demon's stiff appearance was starting to unnerve me considering the low rumble coming out of my dog-eared companion.

Rin then suddenly piped up with as she approached, "What is happening, Lord Inuyasha?"

Inuyasha snapped his head around and then hollered without answering the young girl directly, "Yo! Get your asses over here by me and Kagome! Something's coming!" He turned to me and hissed, "Those brats need to be with their families! Now!"

The children glanced at me hesitantly, waiting for me to give them the okay to follow Inuyasha's orders because they were somewhat distrustful of him. I nodded to them and began to lead the bunch back into the confines of the village, my mind rolling over various scenarios as to what could be waiting for us upon entry. I would say that I would love a distraction in my daily on-goings but Inuyasha's urgency was filling me with the utmost apprehension. Following the half-demon, we jogged back onto the path that would bring us back into the village. Our baskets of herbs and weeds, alongside the bouquet of flowers, completely forgotten in our haste.

* * *

000

Screams erupted from every corner of the village, a shrill racket that flattened the ears to my companion's skull forcibly.

We had returned to the disrupted community, acting upon Inuyasha's superior sense of danger. The children behind me whined about their parents, but it was my duty to protect them, so I ordered them to stay right beside me as Inuyasha pulled us along. I wish I had taken my bow with me earlier, but who expected an attack today? I didn't. I berated myself for the mistake of leaving it back at the shed-made-home. My mind wandered onto what could have possibly caused the village's routine to have come to such a boil so quickly.

_I had not detected a demonic aura before my departure, nor have I felt one close by the village earlier. What could have put the citizenry into such a frightened state? _

We had turned the corner onto the main road, my ankles colliding into one another upon the abrupt change of course, clumsily tangling myself in a buckling mass of flailing arms in a comical fashion. Just as I was about to fall over, Inuyasha had grabbed hold of my forearm and helped me back onto my feet, being sure to watch his claws so he may not unintentionally do harm to me. Despite the kind and subtle gesture, he was not looking at me so much that he was looking at a ruined building some few lengths in front of us. It was a complete an utter wreck, smashed into mere splinters of what it used to be. Flames licked away at the shattered stacks of lumber, turning the home into a hearth in mere seconds.

Not removing my eyes from the destruction, the children whimpering behind me, I had asked, "Inuyasha, what do you think could have caused this?"

The hanyou hesitated on his answer, but he sniffed the area around the hut for some tense minute before I got any response from him. He turned to face me and gnashed his teeth as he said merely one word, his eyes flinty.

"…Dragon."

_That would explain why I did not feel a demonic aura earlier. Demons and Dragons have quite a few differences that set them apart; even down to their energy. _

The children fisted my hakama, staring warily between me and the broken home. I reached out and grabbed one of their hands, shaking my head at the idea that a dragon would come here at all. A demon attack was far more likely than anything else.

Just then, a bone-rattling roar broke through the stampeding crowd, causing them to buckle and drop to the ground. I wrapped my arms around the children and drew them to myself, Inuyasha taking an offensive stance in front of us and unsheathing Tetsusaiga in one swift movement. The dirt churned beneath us as a sudden gale blasted over and nearly blew me flat onto my back, but Inuyasha stood firm and rooted himself onto the spot in front of me and snarled, breaking the lashing whirlwind. Something shifted nearby, drawing my eyes immediately over to the right of the road near the horse stables. Something dark-skinned had just whipped out of sight before I can fully glean what the object could have been.

"Inuyasha…"

"I know. I saw that too. Just stay here, I won't leave you and those brats unprotected."

The half-demon started tip-toeing over to the stables, the horses themselves all wound up into a frenzy and trying to escape seemed to worsen as Inuyasha got closer. Just as one of the animals reared and began to crash against the gates, Inuyasha paused and scanned the scene all the while sifting through the various scents of fear and blood in the air. His eyes flashed open just as his nose stopped twitching.

The smell was a warning that came too little too late.

That same dark figure from earlier had been merely one part of a single, sinuous form that had whiplashed out from behind the horse stables and headed straight for Inuyasha. It smashed through the wooden stable and mowed down the horses in one swift movement, the animals' screams suddenly more vivid then the howls of the frightened townspeople who desperately tried to duck out of the storm of wood and hay. The air was suddenly saturated in the mixed and pungent aromas of copper and iron; the tell-tale sign of blood that had escaped the dying animals in the attack. Inuyasha had attempted to slice the offender the old conventional way he normally employs but the wall of coal-colored muscle had rang clamorously against the screeching Tetsusaiga and hurled both the half-demon and his phantom blade several meters away.

Inuyasha landed atop the roiling flames of the afore-mentioned hut we had stumbled upon, eliciting several different cries from both me and the children. Just as I heard the breaking of the already splintered and singed debris crackle against my ears, I suddenly remembered that Inuyasha was _not _wearing the suikan, the top half of his robe of the fire rat. I still had it in my sleeve.

_Oh gods. He's unprotected against those flames!_

Just then, rising out of the flames like the fabled hellhound from the gates, Inuyasha ascended yet again and met another blackened slab of flesh in midair. Ashes rose in a spiraling column around him, embers flickering out of existence as his speed left him a crimson and silvery blur. The serpentine beast had unveiled its morbidly grotesque form, hundreds of fangs unsheathing themselves from the reddened gums of a great maw. It bit down onto the Tetsusaiga's iridescent form and grinned against it, looking as if it was deciding whether or not to break it. Inuyasha gnashed his own teeth in frustration, unable to draw upon the sheer strength of his mastered sword for fear of doing harm to the villagers as well as myself and the kids.

A deft flick of its bus-sized skull had lazily tossed Inuyasha aside, licking its ragged lips while trailing beaded strings of discolored fluid running down the length of its glistening muzzle. Inuyasha back-flipped and caught himself in mid fall, landing with a muffled thud some short distance away from me and the kids. His ears were pinned flat against his soot-covered scalp, his tawny eyes feral with unchecked rage and determination. He gave me a sideways glance, only for his eyebrows to lift just a bit into a more fearful expression.

He had asked lowly, "Where's Rin?"

I turned and gave a swift survey of the encircling group of youths, steadily growing frantic at the prospect of not seeing the raven-haired girl amongst them. An icy pit opened up like a great impasse inside of my gut.

_Oh give me a break. Please tell me Rin left just to get Miroku or Sango… And speaking of which, where are they? Are they tending to the injured or helping the villagers evacuate?_

"Soooooooooo… It seems I had the fortune of finding you after all!" a guttural growl bellowed nearby.

We turned and gazed astonishingly at the snake–like beast looming over us all, his eyes a pupil-less window into the malice of its heart; colored a ghostly blue. We forgot about Rin just then, noting the lifted corners of the monster's mouth indicating that it was leering at us. It drew itself to its fullest height, standing stories off the ground and unfurling immense vein-webbed silk wings. The sun's glow was absorbed and lost amidst the ebony hide of the overlapping scallop-shaped scales, its curled horns twisted and rooted deeply into its wedge head. Its muscled arms were a darker parody of a man's, but the forelimbs ended in falcon–like talons and were equipped with tiger paw pads located on its human shaped palms, complete with prehensile thumbs. The creature flicked out its fork tongue, fangs jutting out of its jaws in the manner of that of a crocodile. A mane the color of chrome matched the beard that rested beneath its chin and tipped its tail.

Truly, it was the fiercest of dragons, although it was my first time seeing a real one other than Ryukotsusei, who happened to be a horrid and powerful combination of demon and dragon.

Inuyasha spat out to the side, a bead of darkened saliva hitting the dirt as he placed the Tetsusaiga onto his shoulder as an outward display of his confidence and lacking of fear. He looked like he was fighting the urge to sneeze as soot and dust covered his sensitive nose. "Are you talkin' to me ya overgrown salamander?"

The dragon lowered his head somewhat, narrowing its eyes at Inuyasha while pulling up its lips and baring his terrible fangs, "Insolent pup. How dare you challenge my honor by calling me a measly lizard! My name is Ryujuro and you shall call me by such! Moreover, you are too young to know of the atrocities that your father and brother have committed to me and my family for years."

Inuyasha snorted, "So you're another one of my ol' man's adversaries, huh? Why did ya go and attack this defenseless village if my so-called brother is the one who actively attacked you and your family?!"

Another hiss escaped the behemoth reptile as he said, "Make no mistake. I aim to destroy _all _those aligned with Inutaisho's blood. I came to this country in the fervent hopes to rid the world of the dog demon race and what Inutaisho most cherishes." He tapped a claw to his nostrils next, "I remember the scent of that wretched mongrel and it is that same scent that has lead me to you. That is why I attacked."

"If it's me ya been itchin' to fight, then so be it! Just leave this place alone! These people have done nothin' to ya!" Inuyasha waved his arm as he stated this, his ears suddenly flattened against his hair yet again and his fangs glinting in the noon sun.

The dragon lifted his head in a manner that reflected regal authority. His pupil-less eyes betrayed no treacherous Naraku-like intentions as he bellowed, "That suits me just fine! I find a challenge more pleasurable anyhow. Although I must ask that you do not confront me with your mortal friends in tow. You must face me alone; and by not doing so you shall dishonor me! Your head shall be mine, second son of Inutaisho!"

At that, me and Inuyasha lost our balance and sputtered with surprise. We did not ever before encounter a creature that not only reacted this way but would actually accept a battle in this nature; most of our previous enemies had made it hard on us and involved our loved ones in our struggles. I would not have believed it if it wasn't for the look on Ryujuro's face that spoke of his promise to such a fight. We recovered and straightened our posture; my arms going right back around the kids as Inuyasha gave the monster a mixed look.

"What the-? You mean you'd actually leave the villagers alone if I formally challenge you without the interference of my friends?"

"But of course," Said the other. "I am not a _demon_, so therefore I do not lie and behave in a horrendous manner such as to your kind, _half_-demon. I detest those vile creatures more than I loathe mortals."

"Huh! How I can I believe that your words aren't a loaded piece of shit, dragon!? I fought way too many foes just for me to believe you!"

The over-sized behemoth had snorted, a column of smoke rising from his enlarged nostrils in a show of _indignant _contempt."Then obviously you have never fought any _real_ dragons before, boy. I take my sense of honor, self, and promise very seriously! Surely you concur?"

_What the heck is going on here? I thought this guy wanted to throttle us a moment ago and flatten the village while he's at it. Inuyasha and I have never faced anyone like this before. This is getting weirder and weirder by the second._

_But on a side-note, Ryukotsusei did not attack us when Miroku used his Wind Tunnel to redirect that one attack, somewhat disrupting the flow of that battle a long time ago. Maybe both of these dragons believe the same thing…?_

Inuyasha must have thought along the same lines as I did when he inquired, "…You will really leave everyone alone then if it's just me and you fightin', right?"

"A dragon keeps his promise, and I shall keep mine. If I say or did otherwise then I would rather be slain!"

After he had said that, there was a long pause and an uncharacteristic silence rising from Inuyasha's contemplative and rather idle form. His grip on the grayed wrappings on Tetsusaiga's hilt tightened, only to lesson after every breath that went by. I didn't know if I wanted to believe Ryujuro's 'promise' or not, but I disagreed with it in some essence for some odd reason: What if he could be just saying that and not mean it?

The hanyou hardly even spared me a glance as he considered the coal-colored beast's offer, finally looking up at the awaiting individual. Much to my horror, Inuyasha nodded to the dragon, his expression hard. "…Fine. You better not be lyin'!"

"You have my word," The over-sized reptile folded his arms across his slate breast. As if to confirm his earlier statement, he turned his massive-horned head and slithered down the road, baffling not only me and Inuyasha but the close-by villagers as well.

"Inuyasha! What the hay-?!"

He held up his hand to me, "No way Kagome. You're not gonna change my mind about this. This guy strikes me as weird but I can't smell any deceit on 'im. I can tell if he was lying, and frankly, he wasn't. I think I'd prefer this way anyhow so that way no one can get hurt or die."

"But-"

He shook his head at me, giving me one of those famous 'You can't change my mind' expressions. Whenever Inuyasha decided on something, he would not back out of it; especially if it was a fight. I bet even if I tried one of my sit commands that he still would not back out of this. Then again, the well-being of the village was more important. He might actually be correct in saying he needed to fight this dragon away from the village.

Inuyasha gauged my expression, his eyes observing my varying thoughts flitting across my features and lifting an eyebrow at whatever my face could be displaying. He lowered the Tetsusaiga and walked over to me, his hand clasping my shoulder. The touch had broken whatever my current train of thought was and brought my despondent gaze onto his own pair of bronzed pupils.

"Kagome, it's going to be fine. I can take this overgrown worm," He assured. He then added with a snide grin next, "Or have you already forgotten how strong I am? I bet this guy isn't _nearly half _as strong as Naraku or Sesshoumaru for that matter!"

"Yeah well I can't help worrying about you. This guy has an imposing aura that reeks of his power. He even _looks _like evil! We never fought any dragons before too… He might be stronger than you think and he might betray his word!"

Inuyasha snorted at the statement, "Pul-leeaaase… That scaly garden snake against me and the Meido Zangetsuha? He wouldn't dare go back on that challenge; I'll make sure of it! We'll see who comes out on top."

"You can't be serious, Inuyasha! You can't just go underestimating this thing! He can probably kill you! The chances are _always _there in a battle! This dragon might have gone fang to fang with your father for all you know. He could be that powerful!"

Suddenly, the half-demon bared his teeth at me and sharply retorted with, "So what?! I already know that the odds of death are always there in a fight; but that never stopped us before! I don't care if this guy is a dragon and could have tangoed with my ol' man! I'll skin 'em and turn 'im into a leathery hand bag before long! More importantly; are you really doubting my strength!? I always got us outta trouble before!"

I heard my voice rise higher in pitch as I lashed out with "And then wound up into more trouble afterwards!"

"You wench! After all the shit we've been through you still believe I would tuck tail and run!? The village is in trouble and I found a way to get rid of an enemy without having you lousy humans hurt!"

_He has a point, which was _always_ a bad sign. I still can't deny the fact that it is better this way that the fight is taken out of the village._

"Is this really the appropriate time to fight you two?"

I looked up and noted Miroku's advent arrival, his staff jangling noisily beside him and his sandals peeling up dust from the road. Sango was also running up to meet us alongside her husband, her attire being that of her old Demon Slayer's wear and Hiraikotsu strapped securely to her back. Rin was nowhere in sight, leading me to think that the married pair had forced her to stay behind and watch over their children. Shippo was perched onto Sango's left shoulder.

Inuyasha spat to the side again before he commented, "'Bout time you two shitheads showed up."

"I apologize for our tardiness, but Rin was adamant on returning to this fight with us. We managed to convince her to stay behind," Miroku had added with a winded tone but he narrowed his eyes at the name Inuyasha had called them.

Sango nodded, "We also had to get some of the villagers away. But now that we are here, where is the threat?"

I jerked my thumb over my shoulder at the retreating form of the black beast, "He says he will wait for Inuyasha to face him in a formal challenge out in the fields."

Miroku slapped a hand to his forward while Shippo babbled and Sango uttered a distinctive "what the-?" as the surprise set in. They gave each other a look before landing their dumbfounded stares onto the half-demon beside me.

"What the hell is going on?" Sango had inquired.

Shippo then placed himself into the conversation with, "That's what we all want to know!"

I explained in a hurried rush about the dragon and his connection to our hanyou companion just as Inuyasha began to turn and leave, intended on not keeping the dragon waiting. I reached out and stopped his progress with a touch to his shoulder and handed him the Fire Rat suikan, my eyes boring into his own.

"Please. Be careful…" My voice taking on a note of supplication.

Inuyasha fisted the crimson garment as he let his earlier scowl disappear, my hand lingering on his for a moment. His expression transformed into a more confident one as he replied in earnest, "I'll be fine. Just take care of the brats."

"Should we aid in this battle?" Miroku took another step toward his now long-time friend, his brow knotted in both worry and curiosity.

A resolute shake of Inuyasha's silvery skull was Miroku's reply alongside with, "No way, Monk. When I say I'll do something, I mean it. You should know that by now. I told the giant worm I'll fight 'im alone and that's what I'll do. You guys can't change my mind."

He then paused and began to slip on the robe, my eyes trained on him the entire time. I finally relented and began to pull the children away as Sango and Miroku gave Inuyasha a brooding look. The young kitsune started to prattle on about how much of an idiot Inuyasha is much to the half-demon's chagrin. No doubt that they were disappointed that they could not follow their nigh-immortal companion into battle like old times. I honestly felt the same, but how would I help if I did not have my bow and arrows? Not to mention this damned sense of honor thing that the afore-mentioned reptile had blatantly pointed out. He wanted to fight Inuyasha alone and chances are he used the word for the intention of separating our party. Honoring your word and decision was what put a wedge between me and the hanyou in the first place when it came to Kikyo. He did not quite return my feelings towards him with her walking the earth because of that specific word.

Just as I turned to guide the trembling children away, Lady Kaede had turned the corner in front of me and scared me senseless. I nearly tripped again but caught my own footing as she apologized for the scare and held something out to me.

"Ah, Kagome. This tired old miko has been looking for ye. Rin has brought to my attention that ye would be missing thy bow and arrows."

I scratched my head half-heartedly, nodding my thanks as I took the bow from her. "Yeah, Rin was right. But I doubt I might need it now since Inuyasha is gonna go and fight Ryujuro alone anyway…"

At this piece of news, old Kaede's grayed eyebrows lifted and very nearly touched her frayed hairline. "That foolhardy half-demon! Fighting a spirit dragon is pure folly! That thing is _not _of this country, or pray tell, this world for all we know!"

"It's not…? Then where could it have possibly come from?"

"It has come from the deep west beyond the sea, if not the other-side. Where else? A country of that size regularly needs its large beasts that they call that demon-haunted place home to keep it in check. That dragon, good or evil, are its niche as you say. Not to mention that Inuyasha is fighting a battle that he will most surely lose! You girl need to stop this.

"And there is more! Dragons have a hidden arsenal of powers that even the strongest demons may fear! Inutaisho suffered at the talons of Ryukotsusei, but who's to say the very same may happen to Inuyasha! What's worse? The fact that stands that Ryujuro may be an undead dragon and has infinite strength or he is alive and can unleash a devastating attack so strong that it can destroy this entire land in a manner much worse than Naraku's miasma hailstorm!"

_There is a reason why that thing has fought Inuyasha's father and __**has prevailed in some essence **__against the greatest dog demon that has terrorized the western lands, Kagome! Why didn't you figure this out sooner! Can't you tell by how dreadful that thing looks? You blockhead!_

Just as I heard that inner voice shout at me, I turned on my heel and began to tail Inuyasha's shadow, my concern coming to a head.

"Kagome! Are you going after-?"

"Whadya think?! I'm gonna stop this fight before it begins!" I hurried up to Miroku and the others, arming myself with the bow of Mount Azusa. I told them in a rush, "Kaede told me that we need to stop this fight! Like here and now and get that thing to leave! It could do harm to this place even unintentionally! Inuyasha doesn't know what he has gotten himself in to!"

"Alright! You guys heard the priestess! We need to stop them and save our friend's life!" Sango had hollered.

"Like old times?" Shippo's tiny fists clenched on Sango's uniform.

"Like old times," The demon slayer had confirmed.

Miroku nodded in agreement and charged off into the direction Inuyasha had gone, with Sango, Shippo, and me right behind him. Despite the fact that we were together again for another battle, I still couldn't shake the horrible chills frosting my veins and quickening my heart. The only thing I had in my mind at the moment was the fact that I needed to preserve the lives that all most demons, half-demons and humans can only have once. The villagers and the one I love was at stake here.

_Oh Inuyasha… What have we gotten ourselves into?_


End file.
